Staff / Erin GrayFrom left, Alpharetta native Kaylee Random and Roswell native Lauren Judson before the start of the Judson Collegiate & Legends Pro-AM Golf Tournament last Friday morning at the Country Club of Roswell.
Judson is the founder of the event and both women currently play college golf for the University of Southern Mississippi.

The Country Club of Roswell hosted the second annual Judson Collegiate & Legends Pro-Am Challenge which concluded on July 15. The event benefited the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and brought together the top 60 collegiate women golfers playing in the U.S. as well as LPGA Legends such as Hall of Famers Amy Alcott, Donna Caponi, Pat Bradley, Betsy King and Nancy Lopez.

The first day of the event was a pro-am challenge combining Legends players, collegiate golfer and local amateurs. The second day of the tournament consisted of a Legends stroke play competition and the first of three rounds for the collegiate tournament. Alicia Dibos and Nancy Scranton finished the event tied at one-under and participated in a playoff that was won by Dibos for the title. Event co-founder and Atlanta native Rosie Jones finished in a tie for third place with four other golfers one stroke behind with an even round.

“I had a great round and had a chance to win it but just missed out of the playoffs,” said Jones. “I’m still proud of my round. The event doesn’t count towards my standings in the Legends tour but we hope to continue to build this tournament in the future and make it count officially.”

Tulane University alumna Maribel Lopez-Porras won the Judson Collegiate with an overall score of one-over par to capture the title. She shot a tournament-low round of 67 during the second day of the competition. “It was a pleasure to win one of the most unique tournaments in the world in my first time,” said Lopez-Porras. “I heard about the tournament from Lauren (Judson) at the National Championships and she spoke with my family about the event. We supported the cause and wanted to be here.” Lopez-Porras will pursue her LPGA Tour card in the fall of this year. Louisville freshman Laura Restrepo finished second and University of Alabama junior Hannah Collier finished third.

“The tournament went well and we made some improvements from last year,” said co-founder Lauren Judson. “We had a great field of college players and Legends and we’re planning to have an even better field next year.”

Off the golf course, the event also served as an opportunity for the Legends players to mentor the collegiate players in various capacities. “We saw a lot of interaction between all of the players,” said Jones. “There were a lot of stories told, fun and love out there.”

“Our workshop between all of the players went well and taught the college players how to be a professional,” said Judson. We’re looking for more ways to incorporate more interaction between everybody next year.”

The event concluded with an awards ceremony and prominent Roswell community members being recognized for their support.

“We had a lot of spectators this year and the Country Club of Roswell has been very supportive of me though everything that’s happened especially to my family,” said Judson. “Its been overwhelming to see all of the love that the Roswell and North Fulton community has given us.”

*We welcome your comments on the stories and issues of the day and seek to provide a forum for the community to voice opinions. All comments are subject to moderator approval before being made visible on the website but are not edited. The use of profanity, obscene and vulgar language, hate speech, and racial slurs is strictly prohibited. Advertisements, promotions, spam, and links to outside websites will also be rejected. Please read our terms of service for full guides